Bathing suit



1952 Ev MCILHINNEY BATHING SUIT 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed Aug. 25, 1948 Inventor EVELYN IQILHINNEY Attorney.

Jan. 29, 1952 E. MOILHINNEY BATH'ING SUIT 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Aug. 25; 1948 Inventor EVELYN HQILHINNE! Patented Jan. 29, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BATHING SUIT Evelyn McIlhinney, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Application August 25, 1948, Serial No. 46,130

14 Claims. (01. 2-67) A further object of the invention is to provide a bathing suit of novel construction to allow for adjustable uplift of the breasts, and circumferential tensioning of the abdominal support and at least a part equalizing of the latter tensioning drawing upwards on the crotch strap to hold it snugly.

A further object of the invention is to provide a. back-lacing bathing suit wherein the upper portion consists of a tailored brassiere structure from which both the combined abdominal supporting panel and crotch strap and outer cover or skirt are suspended, and in which the backlacing besides closing the outer cover of the garment about the wearer also tightens the oircumferential tensioning of the abdominal supporting panel and draws up at least slightly in an equalizing action on the crotch strap to hold it in snug, close-fitting engagement.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a womans bathing suit of stylish design allowing maximum exposure while yet providing freedom and comfort, unusual support and modest coverage.

To the accomplishment of these and related objects as shall become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed. out in the claims hereunto appended.

The invention will be best understood and can be more clearly described when reference is had to the drawings forming a part of this disclosure wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 and 1A are front and back perspective elevations of this bathing suit;

Figures 2 and 3 are enlarged vertical and horizontal transverse sections thereof; I

Figure 4 is a detail of the open, back-lacing structure; and

Figure 5 is a. perspective elevation of a modified brief form of the garment.

Possessing the styling of a skimpy, dressmaker model garment, this bathing suit may be consideredstructurally as consisting of three sections, viz., the bust-covering, body-encircling, up-

per portion or brassiere A, the U-shaped abdominal support and stress-equalizing crotch unit B suspended therefrom, and the form-fitting outer cover C that depends from the brassire A, substantially free and independent of the vertica U crotch traverse. The instant form shown in Figures 1-4 inelusive, is seen to possess a tailoredbrassire top A, having spaced breast cups I'mounted on the upper edge, one on either side of the front median, of a body encii'cling band 2, the connect-.- ible free ends 3 of which are in normally spaced relation at the back. Shoulder straps 4 extend from the top of each cup to the band 3 at the back, Suspended from this brassiere body-em circling band 2 is the U-shaped unit B, consisting of a strong thoughstretchable abdominal supporting panel 5, a non-stretchable crotch strap 6 and an upwardly extending rear extension 1. The panel 5 is connected along its upper free end to the brassire body-encircling band 2 and at its lower end, on a V-shaped bias line to the nonstretchable crotch strap 6 that tapers in width to traverse the crotch and connects in turn on a V-shaped bias line with the extension I that continues up to join the confronting ends-3 :at'the back of the band 2, being bifurcated for a subs stantial part of its length to provide a deep openback slit 8 reaching down below the waist-line to a level substantially even with the bottom of the panel '5. Preferably'the crotch traversing strap 6 and the extension 1 are of the same material as the bras top A and. outer covering portion C but with the crotchstrap having the right side of the material outermost and the extension with the material reversed for a. purpose to be later set forth. i

The foregoing is thebasic or skeleton structure of my bathing suit with which various forms of trunk enveloping coversmay be used. In the preferred embodiment loose pantie sections I!) hang from the 'brassiere band 2 on each side'of the U-shaped unit B and are joined thereto down opposite sides and finished with elastic I laround the leg-defining openings l2 at the :bottom.

The skirt-like, form-fitting outer covering C depends from the 'brassiere bandlhbeing connected thereto all around andis slit downthe center of the back in registry withlthe slit8 in the crotch strap extension I and attached-to the said extension along the edges of theslit 8so that the reversed material of the extension now appears as a finished facing therefor. At the front of the garment, the covering C is stitched to the opposite vertical edges of theabdominal 3 supporting panel 5, the panel-superposing area of the outer cover C being first gathered or given some transverse or horizontal slack and if desired the vertically extending laterally spaced rows of stitching l4 may be carried down to above the limits of the crotch strap at front or rear to expose any other than right-side-out material. Opposite sides of the deep, open-back 'slit 8 are provided with spaced eyelets l5 for a gap-closing, tension adjusting draw lace l6 and even the shoulder straps 4 include one or more 7 such eyelets and are included in the lacing.

Thus it will be seen that when the garment is adjusted on'thewearer and the draw lace l6 tightened, the closing of the open-back gap or slit 8 pulls in the outer cover C over the wearers waist to whittle the dimension thereof yet the stress at the front does not cause the abdomen to protrude as the underlying supporting panel 5 tightens transversely to flatten the abdomen without disclosing any of. the strain thereof on the overlying, previously gathered portion of the cover C. Simultaneously the transverse stretching of the panel 5-tends to shorten the same a little vertically with the resultant drawing up of the crotch strap 6 into a comfortably snug and mod 'estly concealing fit. Additionally the tightening fitting as a gusset into the bottom back of the.

outer cover 0, Furthermore the pantie side sections lfl'are dispensed with in this briefer model but substantially the same waist-slimming, ab-

domen-flattening and crotch strap snugging action follows the tightening of the gap-closing draw lace in the open-back slit reaching down to below waistline level.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be manifest that a bathingsuit is provided that will fulfil all the necessary requirements of such a garment, but as many changes could be made in the above description and many apparently widely different embodiments of the invention may be constructed within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matters contained in the said accompanying specification and drawings shall be interpretedas illustrative and not in a limitative or restrictive sense. Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters 4 U-shaped abdominal support and crotch strap unit suspended from said brassire band and a trunk-enveloping outer cover depending also from said brassiere band and overlying said U-shaped abdominal support and crotch strap unit.

3. The combination with the structure set forth in claim 1 wherein the bathing suit outer cover is open down the back from and including the body-encircling band and provided with an adjustable draw-string threaded through opposite sides of said back opening for drawing the sides thereof together with the desired tension.

4. A bathing suit having a cover reachin from above the breasts to the crotch and having an open slit reaching down the back to a point below the waistline, an adjustable tension gapclosing means therefor, and an abdominal-flattening panel stitched along its opposite vertical edges to the inside of said bathing suit cover at the front with the superposing portion of the bathing suit gathered transversely between said spaced panel-attaching rows of stitching and subject to the adjustable tension of said gapclosing means.

5. The combination with the structure set forth in claim 2 wherein said U-shaped unit comprises a stretchable abdominal support panel and a non-stretchable crotch strap.

6. The combination with the structure set forth in claim 2 wherein said U'-shapedu'nit is connected to the brassire body-encircling band by the top of the abdominal support panel at the front and by anextension of said crotch strap at the rear.

7. The combination with the structure set forth in claim 2 wherein said U-shaped unit is connected to said outer cover only part way down opposite sides.

8.. The combination with the structure set forth in claim 2 wherein said U-shaped unit is connected to. said outer cover down opposite sides of the abdominal support panel and continuing also part way only down the sides of said crotch strap.

9. A back-lacing bathing suit comprising a bust supporting brassiere mounted on a bodyporting panel, crotch strap and strap extension connecting by opposite ends to the body-encircling band of said brassire; a trunk enveloping outer cover depending also from said brassiere band and being open down the back to approximately the level of the bottom of said panel; and an adjustable drawrlace for closing the back of said band and cover; said U-shaped unit being attached to said outer cover by a row of stitching down opposite edges of said abdominal'suppor'ting panel and terminating well above the lower edge of said cover and between which rows of stitching said outer cover is transversely gathered so that the strain'of back lacing is impressed on the underlying panel and not on that portion of the outer covering in the area of the abdomen.

g 10. The combination with the structure set forth in claim 9 wherein the crotch strap of the U-shaped unit is composed of the same material as the outer cover and .with the right-side out while the strap extension has the material reversed, the rows of stitching joining said U- shaped unit and outer cover reaching to. at least the lowest level of the V-shaped bias line at the juncture of said strap and panel and said pended also from the body-encircling band of 5.

the brassiere and attached down opposite edges to the U-shaped unit but otherwise free from said outer cover and finished with elastic edging around leg defining openings at the bottom.

12. The combination with the structure set forth in claim 4 wherein a crotch traversing strap extends from the lower edge of said panel.

13. The combination with the structure set forth in claim 2 wherein said crotch strap has a substantially diamond shaped extension fitting is as a gusset at the back into the cover of the bathing suit proper.

1%. The combination with the structure set forth in claim 1 wherein the bathing suit has an open slit down the back and the bust covering 31:

upper portion has shoulder straps, of an adjust- 6 able gap-closing draw lace therefor threaded through eyelets in opposite sides of said slit and in said shoulder straps respectively.

EVELYN MCILHINNEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,053,165 Pruett Sept. 1, 1936 2,097,777 Rothman Nov. 2, 1937 2,172,965 Wenett Sept. 12, 1939 2,431,505 Reid Nov. 25, 19 i? FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country 1 Date 522,221 Great Britain June 12, 1940 548,041 Great Britain Sept. 23, 1942 596,834 Great Britain Jan. 12, 1948 

